[ISEA98] Artist Statement: Keith Piper – Robot Bodies

Artist Statement

In July 1997, a 251b, six-wheeled robot called Sojourner Truth trundled out onto the surface of Mars. The fact that an object at the extreme cutting edge of human technology was named after a black ex-slave is the starting point for Keith Piper’s exploration of the metaphorical relationship between the image of the robot and black people in science fiction and popular culture.

  • Keith Piper, Malta/England

Commissioned by the Foundation for Art & Creative Technology (FACT). Produced with the financial support of the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England.